1. Technical Field
The present disclosure is directed to color management systems and methods wherein operations associated with an individual color measurement instrument are integrated into system-level operating software such that information associated with or derived from such color measurement instrument, e.g., color measurements, instrument-related messages (e.g., error messages), instrument status and the like, is automatically broadcast to other devices, systems and/or applications that are adapted to listen for and receive such broadcasts. In addition, the disclosed systems and methods advantageously support and facilitate two-way communications, i.e., from “listening devices” to color measurement instrument(s).
2. Background Art
Color management is an important aspect of many industrial and commercial operations. For example, vendors and suppliers are routinely called upon to manufacture and supply products/components that meet specific color-related criteria. Similarly, various print operations benefit from color matching and/or color control functionalities. Color management generally implicates a variety of issues, including the color space used to define a given color (e.g., RGB, CYMK, etc.) and issues associated with performance of an individual color measurement device (e.g., calibration, profile, etc.). Various techniques are used to “standardize” and/or “correct” color management values to facilitate color management, including algorithmic transforms and the like.
In typical color management systems, a particular color measurement instrument may be adapted to communicate with other color measurement instruments, e.g., over a network. Color measurement instruments may also be adapted to communicate with control systems and/or control software, such that individual color measurement values may be used to control ancillary operations. For example, a spectrophotometer, colorimeter or densitometer may be used to measure the color properties of a particular substrate, and such color properties may be input to a database and/or software application that uses such color property data to drive downstream functionality, e.g., a color display on a computer monitor, print operations or the like.
In conventional color measurement operations, it is necessary for each color measurement instrument to establish a direct communication link from application-to-device. To effectuate such communication link, it is generally necessary for a developer to implement a proprietary device software development kit (SDK) for each such communication channel. In addition, conventional application-to-device communications establish a direct and an exclusive communication channel that blocks other devices/applications from accessing such communication channel. As such, a blocking connection may be established with respect to a particular application/instrument in conventional systems, thereby precluding further and/or alternative connections to such application/instrument while the initial blocking connection is in place or otherwise active. The limitations of prior art systems thus impede system level communication of color values and related information, and add significant effort/inconvenience to establishing system-level color measurement-related communications.
Thus, despite efforts to date, system-level communications associated with color measurement and/or color management have not been streamlined and/or facilitated such that color measurement devices may be automatically, efficiently and effectively included in system-level communications. In addition, color measurement and color management systems do not facilitate automatic, system-wide dissemination and/or accessibility of color measurement values and instrument-related information (e.g., error messages/status) in an efficient and reliable manner. These and other shortcomings are addressed and/or overcome by the systems and methods disclosed herein.